1 . A year ago, we bought our son a bike for his birthday. In this way he could stay more active. Plus, we didn't have to push a tricycle around the neighborhood.

I thought he even wanted to sleep with his bike. He got on, rode, and had a huge smile on his face. When we went out for a walk, he would ask me politely if he could ride his bike. I said yes. Then he would play for a long time and didn't want to go home. He rode in every season: winter, spring, summer and fall.

This year, we had him join in a program called SprocKids started by our local mountain bike club. As you can imagine, my little mountain biker showed great interest in it. On the first night, he tried riding over the obstacles（障碍物）, which made me worried and frightened. One obstacle was even taller than me, but he persisted.

Later, one day, he found an old bike in the storeroom. It was mine. He called me out and said, "Mommy, will you go biking with me?" I was surprised because I hadn't biked since high school, but I decided to cycle with him.

I was highly rewarded for my efforts. On the one hand, I took part in an activity with my child. And I didn't have to do all the work by pushing or carrying him. It was an activity he loved and he told me about every path and every move excitedly. On the other hand, we developed a closer bond（关系）.

In my opinion, it's very important for kids to stay active. And parents' encouragement is very important for them to stay active. But words of encouragement are not enough. It's better if parents can do a physical activity together with their kids.

2 . Where the heart is?

In three days I will leave China behind for a few weeks and head back to Australia to spend some time with my family and friends. This will be a very _________ trip for me as, for the first time ever, I will not be _________ to my hometown. You see, my parents sold their house in my hometown and moved about 500 kilometers away.

As it _________ me that I would be returning to a whole new place, I was _________ with two questions: Do I still have a hometown? Where is my home? I needed to do some research.

After reading A Story from the Chinese Diaspora, I learned I was not alone in feeling _________ about where I call home. In the story, a Chinese American girl _________ with finding her identity and _________ her past with her present. I suddenly realized the place where we live now and the place where we lived then, have a great _________ upon who we are, where we long to be and where we feel _________ and safety.

Back to My Motherland__________ of a woman who left her motherland years ago and started a new life in America—the place she now calls home. But, __________ some people move on from their hometown and __________ a new life somewhere else, others have a strong __________ with the city that they grew up in. In Hometown Boy I learn of a man who clings (坚持) to his __________ and continues to make his hometown a __________ of his life for now and for the future.

He makes it his __________ to give back to the community that has given so much to him and his family.

As I __________ the days until I head back to my motherland and __________ where exactly my home is, I am __________ to decide where my heart is. And quite __________, my heart is wherever I am.

3 . A star athlete at the college where I work recently stopped by my office. After committing a few unforced errors during a weekend match, she suffered severely by self-criticism.

This student, like many I teach, strongly believes she should be able to control the outcomes of her life by virtue of her hard work. In her mind, “Nothing can stop me but myself”. So when these students fall short of what they imagine they should accomplish, they are filled with self-blame, reasoning, “If my accomplishments are mine to control, my failures must be entirely my faults, too”, which makes it extremely difficult for them to move on.

We often owe young adults struggling with failure to their parents’ over protection of them from discomfort. But there is another factor at play—a message transmitted by indulging (纵容的) parents who have falsely promised them that they can achieve anything if they are willing to work for it. However, the cruel reality of life is that you can do everything in your power—and still fail. _______

Psychologists Luthar and Kumar urge parents and teachers to spend time helping students find purpose, or goals they genuinely love to pursue and that make an impact on the world, which may help them gain greater life satisfaction and become more psychologically mature. Besides, instead of allowing our kids to beat themselves up when things don’t go their way, we might all question a culture where one is considered lazy without full devotion. The point is to remind them that life has a way of sucker-punching (出其不意) us when we least expect it. It’s often the people who learn to say “stuff happens” who get up the fastest.

4 . I had worried myself sick over Simon’s mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest _________ of the students’ work. In Simon’s case, the grades were awfully low. He couldn’t read his own handwriting. _________ he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his _________.

So when Simon’s mother entered the room, my palms(手掌心)were _________. I was completely _________ for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. _________ me, Simon had become a different person. She talked of how he _________ me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had _________ spent an afternoon at a friend’s house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the _________ I had nurtured(培养)in her son. She kissed me again and left.

I sat, stunned(惊呆), for about half an hour, __________ what had just happened. How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without __________ knowing it? What I finally came to __________ was one day, several months before, when some students were __________ reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke __________, and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon’s the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can’t hear you in the __________ of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, __________ more, and became happy. And it was all because __________ to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed __________ was the one who took the last seat that day.

It taught me the most __________ lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I’m thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed __________.

5 . In choosing a friend, one should be very careful.   A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fairweather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities(品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability(可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how the other is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person' s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults(过错) in others.   He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other.   A good friend has a good sense of humor(幽默), too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

7 . In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability.

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experiences and learn from each other. A good friend has a sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone that is reliable, honest, and understanding. I know I’ve found a friend.

8 . “I really want to, but I can’t because…” It hurts every time I hear someone say it. I see it for what it is—an excuse. Every one of us has hopes, dreams and goals. We talk about how we will achieve them, but when it’s time to do them, we use that sentence.

During my teen years, I felt stuck. I wanted to learn so many things and achieve my wildest dreams, yet I couldn’t. Living in an underdeveloped country, we suffer from a lack of water, electricity, security and opportunities. And, we don’t have training courses, libraries or clubs, and the Internet is slower than a snail crawling through peanut butter.

One day, I had had enough. I decided to use the resources I had to create the future I dreamed of. I set my mind on getting the Japanese Monbusho Scholarship. I found articles and books online to become fluent in Japanese. In a few months, I was able to hold a simple conversation in Japanese.

I realized that I would need money. I set out to build a hedgehog (刺猬) care website. Every day, after school, I would research hedgehogs and write detailed articles about them. I studied Japanese and wrote about hedgehogs for three years.

I’m sure you’re expecting a spirit-lifting ending where I travel to Japan and live off my website. That’s not how this story ends. The fact is, I didn’t even get the chance to apply for the scholarship. I failed. Unwilling to accept the facts, I started an online university the next year. And the hedgehog website made me a total of $60.

I can tell you that I tried, but it didn’t work out. It did — just not the way I expected. I’m not in Japan, but I know how to speak Japanese and have met many interesting people along the way. My hedgehog website didn’t succeed, but I created a new one that’s even better with the experience I gained. I didn’t let my difficulties stand in my way, and I created my own opportunities. Anyone can embrace the cards they’ve been dealt and create their own way to make them into a winning hand.